Sportsbook handicappers have noticed an annual ritual in the NFL. Just after the NFL Draft each year. NFL teams release high priced veterans that they no longer want to pay. Many big names that are familiar to fans at the online sportsbook are now looking for work.
Sportsbook odds have been updated after the NFL Draft and they will continue to be updated leading up to the 2010 NFL season. Many teams have made changes this spring. The New York Jets released Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca. The Jacksonville Jaguars got rid of defensive tackle John Henderson. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers let defensive tackle Chris Hovan go while the New England Patriots cut linebacker Adalius Thomas. Each of the teams drafted players they believe can step in and play right away so the high priced vets were cut.
Jacksonville took two defensive tackles in the first and third rounds of the draft so they didn’t need Henderson. The Jags are also saving $11 million since that is what Henderson was due over the next two years. Tampa Bay took Gerald McCoy with the third overall pick so Hovan was expendable. The Patriots selected Florida defensive end Jermaine Cunningham in the second round and they plan to move him to outside linebacker. Thomas has been a major bust since coming to New England so his release was not a shock. Three years ago he signed a $35 million dollar deal. Sportsbook statistics indicate that he had only 34 tackles and three sacks last season for the Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick had seen enough.
Online sportsbook handicappers have heard the reports that the Oakland Raiders are expected to jettison quarterback JaMarcus Russell. The Raiders got Jason Campbell from the Washington Redskins so Russell is likely to be out of a job. Russell has been a disaster since getting picked by the Raiders first overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. The Raiders threw money at him and he has been the worst quarterback in the NFL. In fact, he has been one of the worst quarterbacks in NFL history. And the Raiders have already paid him $32 million dollars. Russell reportedly showed up at offseason workouts weighing more than 290 pounds. Ryan Leaf was one of the worst NFL Draft picks in history but Russell is right up there with him and could be worse if you consider the amount of money the Raiders have wasted on him.